Scrutiny panel idea for residents to detail 'horrific' Sandwell Council experiences

The move has been put forward as part of plans to improve how the Labour-led authority deals with members of the public.

It comes amid claims that a couple who wanted to change banking details for their council tax direct debit were "sent around the Wrekin" and issued with court action.

Sandwell Council agreed an improvement plan with government commissioners in June after a damning auditor's report cited poor value for money and a "breakdown in trust" between councillors and officers.

The plan looks to improve how the council is run and highlighted a number of areas of improvement – including housing, roads, council tax and day-to-day operations.

A budget and corporate management scrutiny board meeting heard that despite improvements in some areas, the plan had hit a series of delays.

Labour councillor Ellen Fenton, who sits on the board, said a key issue that needed to be urgently addressed was the need for greater scrutiny of how the council deals with residents' inquiries.

She told the meeting that members of the public were having problems when contacting the council for support in "countless" different areas, including council tax, rough sleeping, emergency housing and repairs.

Councillor Fenton, who represents Bristnall, added: "I also think that we might need as a scrutiny panel to bring in members of the public – our residents – that have experienced a horrific time in the way that they’ve been dealt with by the council, from people that are rough sleeping through to families that have been made homeless to people that have been banging on about repairs."

She highlighted a casework item where a couple wanting to change their council tax to go into a joint bank account were "sent around the Wrekin" and issued with court action.

"If we’re committed to that culture change it’s not just offices that we need the opinions of, it’s actually the service users," she added.